No

by Brent Lowrey

Created on: July 15, 2011

Despite Roger Clemens' blatant disregard for the rules of baseball as well as the laws of our government, I do not believe he is worth the time, effort, and media hoopla that would inevitably come with another trial. The government has already wasted valuable resources prosecuting steroid-related cases; their efforts will no longer impact the integrity of Major League Baseball, which bears the responsibility of punishing former violating players accordingly. 

Like the baseballs and bats they once held, the integrity of players like Roger Clemens and Barry Bonders is no longer in their hands. Their careers have come to controversial ends, and their impact on "America's favorite pastime" will be forever debated by fans and critics alike. The power to issue a relevant punishment now lies with commissioner Bud Selig (who has made his share of controversial decisions throughout his career). Major League Baseball operates independently of the Supreme Court, and if former players used performance-enhancin g drugs to also enhance their legacy, their names should be stricken from the official record books. 

In 1961, Roger Maris hit 61 home runs in a single season, shattering Babe Ruth's longstanding record of 60. In effort to protect "The Great Bambino" from having his accomplishment surpassed by a relatively-unknown player, then-commissioner Ford Frick changed the rules. Because Major League Baseball had recently extended its season eight games, Frick announced midseason that all records broken after the 154th game of the season would be distinguished from previous records in the official record book. For this reason, Maris' record-breaking home run was witnessed by less than 30,000 fans on the final day of the season.

Maris' record-breaking accomplishment was eventually recognized by fans and officials and stood for 37 years, but his 1961 season was forever tainted by the actions of Frick. Applying this to baseball's modern dilemma, fans and officials need to accept the unchangeable history of Clemens' celebrated baseball career. Under new light, however, they no longer need to celebrate him. They can instead punish him by rightfully removing him from mainstream of attention and the record books, not from society. 

The painstaking deliberations of a trial would, at most, criminalize Roger Clemens and send him to prison. But do we the people need such a dramatic and formal production to recognize the man as what he truly is - a fraud? I say sweep him under the rug; Roger Clemens and other cheating "professional" athletes have wasted enough of our country's time.

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